Friday, January 10, 2014

School Climate and Discipline

School Climate and Discipline:

School Climate and Discipline







GUIDANCE PACKAGE 
  • Dear Colleague letter
    Guidance letter prepared with our partners at the U.S. Department of Justice describing how schools can meet their obligations under federal law to administer student discipline without discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
    download files English [PDF, 587] | En español [PDF, 644K] 
  • Guiding Principles [PDF, 1MB] Prólogo de Secretario Arne Duncan En español [PDF, 314K]
    Guidance document which draws from emerging research and best practices to describe three key principles and related action steps that that can help guide state- and locally controlled efforts to improve school climate and school discipline.
  • Directory of Federal School Climate and Discipline Resources [PDF, 1MB]
    Index of the extensive Federal technical assistance and other resources on school discipline and climate available to schools and districts.
  • Compendium of School Discipline Laws and Regulations
    Document describing an online tool that catalogues the laws and regulations related to school discipline in each of the 50 States, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico states and compares laws across states and jurisdictions. You can access the description of the Compendium here [PDF, 674K], and you can access the tool itself online.
  • Overview of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative [PDF, 266K]
    Outline of recent federal efforts on these issues through the interagency Supportive School Discipline Initiative.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 
  • Rethinking School Discipline
    Remarks of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at the Release of the Joint ED-DOJ School Discipline Guidance Package Release, January 8, 2014. The remarks of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder at the release event are available here.
  • Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
    Frequently Asked Questions document describes the contents of the guidance package, how to get more information and technical assistance about the content of the package, and what the guidance package means for policymakers, district and school leaders, teachers, students, families, and community members. English [PDF, 383K] | En español[PDF, 339K]
  • Post-card/mini-factsheet
    Mini-factsheet provides a brief overview of the contents of the guidance package and how they can be used. English [PDF, 395K] | En español[PDF, 325K]
  • Press release
    English | En español
  • Blog post
    Ensuring Discipline that is Fair and Effective

SIGN UP FOR OUR SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL DISCIPLINE E-DIGEST 
State policymakers, state and district leaders, school administrators, teachers, students, and community members may sign up to receive the Supportive School Discipline e-Digest. The Supportive School Discipline e-digest addresses school discipline issues that touch not only schools, but communities, courts and law enforcement. Regular contents include news from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice and other partner agencies, salient research summaries, examples of effective field practices, announcements submitted by subscribers, and relevant upcoming events. The SSD e-Digest also highlights resources and the availability of ongoing services, including technical assistance, products, and tools.
Register here.

UPCOMING EVENTS 
Webinar: Overview of the School Discipline Guidance Package
January 15, 2014, 3:30 - 5:00 pm EST
The U.S. Department of Education (ED), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), will host a webinar that provides an overview of the school discipline guidance package that was released today as part of the Supportive School Discipline Webinar Series. For more information and to register, go to http://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/events/webinar/overview-school-discipline-guidance-package.
Webinar: Civil Rights Guidance
January 29, 2014, 3:30 - 5:30 pm EST
The U.S. Department of Education (ED), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), will provide an overview of the guidance released on how schools can meet their legal obligations under federal civil rights law to administer student discipline without discriminating against students on the basis of race, color or national origin. For more information and to register, go to http://www.neglected-delinquent.org/events/school-discipline-guidance-package-title-iv-and-title-vi-civil-rights-guidance.